New to sabers

[bustinthejus]

Hmm I was thinking about making a double blade saber similar to the one on bigyellowbox saber #7 but I was gonna change the design a little. I'm probably gonna use some sort of metal tube for the actual handle, but that's about all I've got. I want to add some lights and sound to it, but I'm not sure how. I could probably wire up the LEDs, but that's about it. It'd be great. I just want to know what I should use for blades, how I would mount them with easy removal, and maybe some ideas I could use for the design.

[xwingband]

Welcome, I can't say much though... you asked a heck of a lot that's served a lot better if you just looked around and read. :wink:

[bustinthejus]

Thanks. But what would I use for the blade? It's gotta be transparent for the led to shine through. And could you point me to someplace to start?

Thanks.

[vortextwist]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/default.aspx this is tims store, everything you will need is here, just look towards the links on the left

also check out the gallery and get som Ideas

[bustinthejus]

Hmmm alright. What would I need to make a working led saber? And how should I design the hilt to fit all the electronics?

[Lord Maul]

for the blade you will use Poly C with tim's diffuser.
to make a led saber you need

1)3 watt led
2)optics
3)resistor (unless you want sound. in that case a MR sb or a hasbro sb)
4)batt pack
5)switch
6)basic electronics skills i.e. soldering

that's what you'll need for starters, but there are many different options.

[vortextwist]

everything is in the store front. look around

[bustinthejus]

for the blade you will use Poly C with tim's diffuser.
to make a led saber you need

1)3 watt led
2)optics
3)resistor (unless you want sound. in that case a MR sb or a hasbro sb)
4)batt pack
5)switch
6)basic electronics skills i.e. soldering

that's what you'll need for starters, but there are many different options.

My dad should be able to help me with soldering.
For the leds would I be getting these? http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-778-23-luxeon-v-star-green.aspx
Are those leds or what? I'm so confused lol.
Damn what's an MR? (Sorry I'm nooby)
And what does the optic do?
And wouldn't I need a lens holder thing? So wouldn't something like this

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-781-21-led-basic-electronics-kit-3wredorange.aspx Have pretty much everything I need? What are blade holders? Are they nessesary for my blade to fit on my saber?
I ask too much questions. :oops:

[vortextwist]

for the blade you will use Poly C with tim's diffuser.
to make a led saber you need

1)3 watt led
2)optics
3)resistor (unless you want sound. in that case a MR sb or a hasbro sb)
4)batt pack
5)switch
6)basic electronics skills i.e. soldering

that's what you'll need for starters, but there are many different options.

My dad should be able to help me with soldering.
For the leds would I be getting these? http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-778-23-luxeon-v-star-green.aspx
Are those leds or what? I'm so confused lol.
Damn what's an MR? (Sorry I'm nooby)
And what does the optic do?
And wouldn't I need a lens holder thing? So wouldn't something like this

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-781-21-led-basic-electronics-kit-3wredorange.aspx Have pretty much everything I need? What are blade holders? Are they nessesary for my blade to fit on my saber?
I ask too much questions. :oops:
yes get the basic elec kit.
no not too many but go with a lux 3 instead of a 5 watt.(those are the leds)
MR= Master replica Force FX lightsaber
optics focus the led and the holder holds the optics (you will need this too)
you will need an blade holder.
how much of a budget go you have? the mhs builder is awsome and you can make a really cool saber.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/saber.aspx
these are what other people have made
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=710

[Lord Maul]

For the leds would I be getting these? http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-778-23-luxeon-v-star-green.aspx


that is a 5 watt led. you will be wanting to use a three watter like this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-769-23-luxeon-iii-star-blue.aspx).

also, what color do you want for your saber?

Like what vortex said, what is your budget. that is pretty much the most important thing. for a really cool and top of the line double bladed led saber it will be 200ish :wink:

and you should read the FAQ (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=552) and Thread Index (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=577). those two spots will give you a great overview of saber building.

[vortextwist]

even if you went sing tube. you figure double the cost for electronic kit, blade holders and blades. your talkin still 150 ish

[bustinthejus]

Alright that clears things up a bit. But I'm looking at almost 100 bucks for a basic saber. Does it seriously cost that much for a saber? A complete led blade costs 30 bucks, basic electronics pack almost 20, and a pommel, center, and blade holder costs me about 50 bucks. That's a lot of money for something that just looks cool... I dunno I wasn't planning to use a lot of money for this. I'm 11. I have like 20 bucks, and my dad will probably put in around 10-20 bucks. so that's around 30-40 bucks. Is it possible to get a half decent looking saber for around 30 bucks?

[xwingband]

GRRR.... Why are you all pandering to him?

Read!

These are beyond basic. This is "I registered without looking at the anything." No looking at the store... the tutorials... the FAQ... Index...

I feel this close to posting every single link and closing the darn thread to let him read. :x

[Lord Maul]

hey, we do top of the line stuff that is totally customizable. also, we are pretty much the best saber store around so if you do want a really sweet led saber then this is the only place. you could go to ultrasabers but their stuff costs just as much and they don't have double bladed sabers other than the maul, which costs like 280 converted. :wink: :roll:


Is it possible to get a half decent looking saber for around 30 bucks?

it is, but it won't have any lighting systems or sound whatsoever.

[bustinthejus]

Sorry. I'll go read the faq and look around. I'll come back and ask if I still have questions.

[vortextwist]

even still an mr is about 100

http://masterreplicas.com/store/star_wars/force_fx/
you can get them on ebay for a little less depending on which one you want.

sorry X-wing, it's like seeing a bird with a broken wing. can't help but to help

[Lord Maul]

if you just want a saber and not really invest in it then you'll be forced to go the crapola hasbro rought. other than that it will be a min of 80ish for a SINGLE bladed saber and you want a dual bladed one. If you want something that will last forever then shop here and spend the money.

my saber will cost upwards of 230 as of right now and it is a single blader. it's almost funny just watching the price rise up every time you do a calculation of what it'll cost. i originally was only gonna spend 150ish and it has only gone up :D :shock:

[bustinthejus]

Wow it's amazing what sabers can cost. I already have some hasbro sabers. They're fun to hit people, but they lack the "authentic" feel. If I make a single blade saber, would it be possible to push for 50 bucks?

[Lord Maul]

maybe. but that would be a bare minimum saber.
to start, you will need:
1) a completed blade ----------------29.99
2) a basic electronics kit-------------18.19
3) 1 1/2 in. sink tube 12 in. long-----3.87
4) mhs to 1.5 in. sinktube adapter---9.70
5) emitter #1--------------------------10.00

which gives you a grand total of ---71.75$ tax and shipping not included

And this saber won't be having sound in case you didn't already know that :wink: :(

[vortextwist]

ya it's not cheap. I'm at about 200 on mine and I still need something else, (buttered toast) mmmmm

[bustinthejus]

I better start saving up... Well in this link http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22 he says he's using his led hilt kit. I looked through all the led specific products and I couldn't find such a thing. I could find all the things seperate but not together. Is it still for sale? Oh and what's an mhs? I know it's a modular hilt system but what does that mean?

Hehe thanks.

[vortextwist]

ya he doesn't have that anymore, he does for the el. don't know where it went.

mhs just means you can take all the parts he has and make an awsome saber. all parts interchange

maybe becouse of this he got rid of that kit.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-654-34-mhs-to-15-sink-tube-adapter.aspx

[bustinthejus]

oh ok. For the emitter he was talking about, I couldn't find anything 10$ except this: http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-636-31-screw-on-el-blade-holder-style-1.aspx but that's for EL

[vortextwist]

yep, with the mhs builder you can pic the pieces you want and it even tells you how much it will be and the lengh.
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/saber.aspx
there are a couple of things that are not listed in the mhs builder like the claws, mr luke pommel, and the v-grooved ribbed ext

[bustinthejus]

Lmao the most basic saber with everything I need is $97. Oh and what's drill/tapping a hole? Aren't all the pieces already drilled?

Lmao the most basic saber with everything I need is $97. Oh and what's drill/tapping a hole? Aren't all the pieces already drilled?

Tapping means adding the screw threads to a hole. If $97 bucks is gonna kill you, split it up over a few paychecks. Several people here buy one piece at a time until they get what they want. It's really worth it once you get it together. Plus, once you've finished you have a basic understanding of electrical flow and soldering. It's worth the money if you enjoy sabers.

[bustinthejus]

Lmao the most basic saber with everything I need is $97. Oh and what's drill/tapping a hole? Aren't all the pieces already drilled?

Tapping means adding the screw threads to a hole. If $97 bucks is gonna kill you, split it up over a few paychecks. Several people here buy one piece at a time until they get what they want. It's really worth it once you get it together. Plus, once you've finished you have a basic understanding of electrical flow and soldering. It's worth the money if you enjoy sabers.

I'll look into it. Oh and screw threads means those swirly things screws go in right? (Lol I never knew what those were called)

Oh and would I be able to use an EL mhs emitter for led? Cause for some reason EL emitters cost $10 and the led costs $18. :(

One more question. For tapping and drilling, where would I do it on the blade holder? Do I just stick the blade in, find a place I like, and start tapping and drilling?

[Lord Maul]

you should best have tim do the drilling/tapping for you. from the way you post you seem really young and you don't have a clue about anything :wink: :shock:

you can not use the el emitter. it has a whole different setup for an entirely different technology

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I think he said he's 11 in an earlier post.

Ah.....no paycheck.

[Yoiaholic]

Save yourself 20 dollars by getting an MR stock blade. You can add a mirror yourself to the tip and for what you are going for it would work fine.

EDIT:

Besides you'd probably find the thick wall blade is WAY too heavy if you are used to the hasbro sabers and are 11 years old.

[bustinthejus]

Save yourself 20 dollars by getting an MR stock blade. You can add a mirror yourself to the tip and for what you are going for it would work fine.

EDIT:

Besides you'd probably find the thick wall blade is WAY too heavy if you are used to the hasbro sabers and are 11 years old.

Aren't the wall blades about 1 1/2 inches? How heavy are they, anyways? Yea I'm 11, but if it's not too heavy I should be ok...

[Lord Maul]

the thick walled blades are 1/8 inch thick on either side. the MR blades are 1/16 inch think on either side. i'd say that the thick walled 36in. blade weighs around a pound and the 36 in. MR blade weighs less than half of that. it doesn't seem like a lot but it is.

[bustinthejus]

what's a walled blade anyways?

[Lord Maul]

the "wall" is the side of the blade. all blades have them, just in varying thicknesses. tim's blades are 1/8 inch thick and the MR blades are 1/16 inch thick

[bustinthejus]

Oh. I dunno I think I should be able to handle one of Tim's blades. 1 pound isn't that much. And I'm assuming the hilt is about 1 pound too.

[Lord Maul]

hilt is around 5 pounds.
one pound for a blade doesn't seem like much but it is because of how long it is. think about it like this: try holding out a yardstick. easy, right. now put a pound on the end of that yardstick. that makes it hard. it is the same thing with lightsaber blades

[bustinthejus]

Well the weight would be evenly distributed through the blade right? So it shouldn't be too heavy. I'll go find 6 pounds and see if I can swing it around.

[Lord Maul]

you don't understand a thing about leverage do you? :roll:
i'm just going to let someone else try to tell you :x :roll:

[bustinthejus]

Hehe oh well. I'll look around.

[Yoiaholic]

Here's the best way to describe it. A heavy blade makes a very heavy sword. Think broadswords like they had in the middle ages things that were hard to move around. Then along came the rapier a small and very light one handed sword that has a very light and very deadly blade.

If you are looking to twirl the lightsaber much like they do in the movies you'll want the lightest blade possible. You will never break the MR blade unless you really try to.

Basically, I'm trying to show you how to save 20 bucks, and all of my sabers have the thin wall blades for maximum mobility.

[bustinthejus]

maybe. but that would be a bare minimum saber.
to start, you will need:
1) a completed blade ----------------29.99
2) a basic electronics kit-------------18.19
3) 1 1/2 in. sink tube 12 in. long-----3.87
4) mhs to 1.5 in. sinktube adapter---9.70
5) emitter #1--------------------------10.00

which gives you a grand total of ---71.75$ tax and shipping not included

And this saber won't be having sound in case you didn't already know that :wink: :(

I better start saving up... Well in this link http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22 he says he's using his led hilt kit. I looked through all the led specific products and I couldn't find such a thing. I could find all the things seperate but not together. Is it still for sale? Oh and what's an mhs? I know it's a modular hilt system but what does that mean?

Hehe thanks.

[xwingband]

He doesn't offer the kits anymore. That tutorial is still good, but some things are out of date.

Modular means all of the parts are swappable. Any part can screw onto the other. So you could buy two emitters and switch them around depending on how you feel.

[bustinthejus]

hmmm does anyone here sell the whole lightsaber made of parts from the shop?

[Lord Maul]

why don't you just make it yourself? it'll be cheaper and more fun :?

[xwingband]

why don't you just make it yourself? it'll be cheaper and more fun :?

Yup, you really won't find it cheaper than what you can do yourself.

You can do it cheaper, but you'll have to sacrifice something. Like you can do PVC. At 11 I don't think you have the strength to break PVC. Then you could buy an LED kit and custom heatsink.

[bustinthejus]

Well I just want a decent looking hilt (Probably get Mhs or something?) led, and blade. And if I get http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-585-34-1-14-x-12-chrome-sink-tube.aspx How would I make it look good? Do most people get MHS? If I were to get MHS, would I be getting something like this:

Hilt (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-638-33-double-threaded-hilt-style-1.aspx)
Blade holder (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-637-31-screw-on-led-blade-holder-style-1.aspx)
Pommel (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-635-32-screw-on-pommel-style-1.aspx)
Full blade (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-765-20-complete-led-blade.aspx)
Basic electronics kit (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-622-21-led-basic-electronics-kit-3wblue.aspx)

Also, what's the difference with getting a sink tube, and an MHS tube? Would it look better with MHS hilts?

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions!

Look through the picture gallerys, especially the MHS. You can see what the MHS, a few spare parts and some imagination can do. Some of the coolest sabers are made with the cheapest parts. It would help to draw out your idea, then match bits and pieces of it to the MHS. Good luck.

[Lord Maul]

with the mhs you can get special designs on it unlike with a sinktube (ribbed extension, ribbed double fem. connecter ect.). what you have there would work but it would be a bare minimum. i would just fork over the extra money and get something really awesome that i can show off to my friends :twisted:

[bustinthejus]

Trust me, in my shoes, you wouldn't. If I ran around my school yelling "I just spent $100+ on a star wars lightsaber!", they would call me a star wars geek. :P I will see how much money I can get to put into a lightsaber. Although I am getting a wii so it might be a while before I get the money to get a saber.

[Firebird21]

Trust me, in my shoes, you wouldn't. If I ran around my school yelling "I just spent $100+ on a star wars lightsaber!", they would call me a star wars geek. :P


What the problem?

[elrond.406]

Save yourself 20 dollars by getting an MR stock blade. You can add a mirror yourself to the tip and for what you are going for it would work fine.

EDIT:

Besides you'd probably find the thick wall blade is WAY too heavy if you are used to the hasbro sabers and are 11 years old.

Aren't the wall blades about 1 1/2 inches? How heavy are they, anyways? Yea I'm 11, but if it's not too heavy I should be ok...

Woah! Finally another someone younger than me on the forums! :P

[LAN-ED-TUL]

or grab a heiland or graflex off ebay. i have real heilands that ive changed up to make a few of my el and led lux sabers with.

the heilands and graflex bodies are tough enough, alot thicker than sink pipe. the problem is the price. graflexs will always be high, heilands from time to time can be got for 40 bucks, if you bide your time.

[bustinthejus]

Lol I'm probably the youngest person on this forum. Nah I'm not gonna make one out of graflex or heiland. Unless I get time. I might just see if I can get a MR off ebay. Will see what I can do.